It has been 11 years since the Arizona State Sun Devils have beat their So Cal rival, University of Southern California. 10 games of total dominance by the Trojans…and 10 games of futility from the Devils. But this year, the Sun Devils hope to see something different. This isn’t the same USC team that has beat them fo a decade straight. This USC team doesn’t have the same game-changing offense and defense common at the Coliseum since the arrival of coach Pete Carroll. When Carroll left, he seemed to take USC’s swagger with him (I’m sure the NCAA sanctions didn’t help either).

And ASU has no problem with that. They’re hoping that with this game they can bring some swagger back to Tempe, where it’s been missing for a couple of seasons. They want to emerge from this Saturday’s game proving that they are, and will continue to be, a true force in the Pac-10 or Pac-12 next season. And after the trouncing they leveled against Washington State last weekend, they are hoping to bring the same energy on both sides of the ball to South Los Angeles.

To get them in the mood to execute on both sides of the ball in such hostile conditions as USC’s Memorial Coliseum, the Devils practiced this week with the USC Fight Song playing in the background. They wanted to get used to the sound, get used to the noise, and prepare themselves to put up a good fight when they take their talents to South LA.